What's with Generation Y and online privacy?

Depending on whom you ask, members of Generation Y either have online privacy figured out, or they haven't a clue. Michael P. Kassner looks at who's right.

As a parent of a son who belongs to Generation Y, I wanted to understand the vast disconnect between Millennials (members of Generation Y born between 1982 and 2000) and their parents when it comes to online privacy habits. My interest deepened this past November when Facebook proposed major changes to their governing documents:

[W]e found that the voting mechanism, which is triggered by a specific number of comments, actually resulted in a system that incentivized the quantity of comments over their quality. Therefore, we're proposing to end the voting component of the process in favor of a system that leads to more meaningful feedback and engagement.

The decision was entirely up to Facebook members. According to CNET, the voter turnout was sparse -- 700,000 out of one billion members, so Facebook rescinded the ability to vote. CNET also mentioned, of the 700,000 who did vote, 88 percent cast their vote against the new changes.

Since November, I have been taking an informal poll of Facebook members I personally know. I asked what they thought about losing the right to vote on proposed changes to Facebook policy. Few knew what I was talking about (every Facebook member supposedly received an email notification like the one above), and those who did know, were Millennials.

Reputation management has now become a defining feature of online life for many internet users, especially the young. While some internet users are careful to project themselves online in a way that suits specific audiences, other internet users embrace an open approach to sharing information about themselves, and do not take steps to restrict what they share.

The Pew Internet report went on to mention how reputations were managed online:

Search engines and social media sites play a central role in building one's reputation online; and many users are learning and refining their approach as they go--changing privacy settings on profiles, customizing who can see certain updates, and deleting unwanted information about them that appears online.

The report interviewed over 2,250 internet users, and to my good fortune sorted the people interviewed into the following age groups: 18-29, 30-49, 50-64, and 65 and older. The following survey questions specifically caught my attention.

Take steps to limit the amount of personal information available about them online:

44 percent of internet users between ages 18-29.

33 percent of internet users between ages 30-49.

25 percent of internet users between ages 50-64.

20 percent of internet users 65 and older.

Change privacy settingsto limit what they share with others online:

71 percent of social networking users between ages 18-29.

55 percent of social networking users between ages 50-64.

Delete unwanted comments that others have made on their profile:

47 percent social networking users between ages 18-29.

29 percent of social networking users between ages 30-49.

26 percent of social networking users between ages 50-64.

Remove their name from photos that were tagged to identify them:

41 percent of social networking users between ages 18-29.

24 percent of social networking users between ages 30-49.

18 percent of social networking users between ages 50-64.

Mary Madden, senior research specialist at Pew and lead author of the report provided the following overview:

Contrary to the popular perception that younger users embrace a laissez-faire attitude about their online reputations, young adults are often more vigilant than older adults when it comes to managing their online identities.

So, does that mean we don't have to worry about Millennials? And why do parents along with older adults feel Millennials have what Madden called a laissez-faire attitude?

The disconnect

Discussing this with my son, I got the feeling we weren't talking about the same thing. Another hint I thought, convincing me to take a hard look at what privacy actually means. I soon realized it wasn't going to be easy; the Wikipedia entry for privacy is over 5,000 words long. Did you know in the United States, privacy is not guaranteed by the Constitution?

In the Wikipedia entry, I found the following definition:

The right to privacy is our right to keep a domain around us, which includes all those things that are part of us, such as our body, home, property, thoughts, feelings, secrets, and identity. The right to privacy gives us the ability to choose which parts in this domain can be accessed by others, and to control the extent, manner, and timing of the use of those parts we choose to disclose.

The part I found most interesting: The right to privacy gives us the ability to choose which parts in this domain can be accessed by others. This seems to be the area of contention between Millennials, their parents, and other older adults. I’d like to gauge your opinion in the following poll:

Since the poll's responses are limited, please feel free to explain your thoughts at more length in the comments, especially about these areas:

According to studies, Millennials are more aware of how to control their online reputations. Does that offset their allowing more access to information deemed sensitive by older adults?

It is almost assured what is released to the Internet is public knowledge forever. Why does this scare parents and older adults, but not Millennials?

Do you think parents and older adults are alarmed at the openness of Millennials because they feel Millennials are naïve about future fallout from their openness online?

Final thoughts

It seems I've ended up with more questions than answers. In a sense that may be a good thing, particularly if we all realize the disconnect may well be how privacy (online reputation management) is defined.

And, the disconnects are just beginning, if this AVG media blog is any indication. New AVG Technologies Threat Report reveals pre-teen children developing malicious code. The lede mentions that preteen children are writing malicious code in order to steal game log-in credentials.

Full Bio

Like many readers I had the same impression that older digital media users had more concern for their privacy but through the book Digital Media Ethics by Charles Ess, as well as the findings in the above studies, we as readers find the exact opposite. In Digital Media Ethics, you see the same topic at hand, Facebook, "The Beacon Program of 2007: many of Facebook's largely younger clientele expressed outrage when confronted with what they considered to be a violation of their privacy." You did not see quite the amount of outrage from the more adult clientele. As a member of Generation Y, I always felt that I was an exception to the amount of privacy I try to ensure when dealing with social media, but to my surprise in both this blog post and Digital Media Ethics by Charles Ess, the younger generations are taking more privacy precautions.
Ess, C. (2010). Digital media ethics. Polity Pr.
Sisilia

We older farts are becoming paranoid? :) (not I think)
Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't after you
Off topic:
And in my line of business (IT admin) it's not a question of being paranoid, but am I paranoid enough...
And THAT makes me more wary of privacy issues...

I see two issues here.
Firstly response to requests. Facebook tends to send out a billion emails a day, someone likes a picture, email. Someone likes a comment, email. Someone likes a joke, email. Someone likes a restaurant, email.
I know these can be ignored and in most cases I do, but I do have two people where it is necessary for me to at least have glance and what's up. One is hospitalized and sometimes needs positive reinforcement, though most of the time the important messages are for pictures of cats doing cat things, how much she hates her doctor (or loves him, depending on the time of day), and the ones I hate the very most are those sickeningly sweet poems and quips that belong in a 90's chick flick, or about how horrible men are to women.
Anyhow, I get so much crapola in my free email account that I often just deleted a page or two at a time while only briefly scanning sender. If they are mainly FACEBOOK, it is select all > delete more often than not. If ANY of those Facebook originating emails were about a vote, I'd miss it too. Besides a subject line comment, there's no quick distinction, just "YUCK, a bunch of Facebook crap"...delete. It's a junk email account so it rarely includes anything REALLY important or something I really must know.
The second point was privacy. At almost 44, I'm a little older than the GenY referred to but I get the point all the same. My mother for example would not click ANYTHING without calling me to see if it's safe. I've okayed her using online banking but not responding to banking emails, etc. Anything else, she'll wait until she's asked me about it. Seeing as she doesn't really understand much beyond the absolute basics or attaching a photo to an email, she knows it can be dangerous and sits on the side of caution rather than chance it, which I think is fantastic and very wise. If you don't know, don't click 'YES'!
Myself, I am still VERY skeptical of anything related to finances, besides my online banking. I am sure I give to much security credit than deserved but for, convenience and knowledge that my bank will not hold me liable for most issues, I don' mind it.
When it comes to ANYTHING else, including TR, I am very cautious about personal info. I've had some close calls with lawsuits over comments I make publicly using my real name too, as I used to manage quite a few acts and was contracted to them, my comments could negatively impact people's views of their work, so I always had my guard up anyway.
My nephew couldn't care less, he'll use his name, he'll post his photos, he'll use his phone for anything he wants etc. The Internet is still a safe place for him, at age 19.
So, your observation is quite accurate, in my opinion. The older us old farts get, the more weary and untrustworthy we become, in many cases this is a good thing too. I think it is also coupled with LIFE EXPERIENCE.
When I was younger ANYONE was my friend. Got candy in your car mister? Great I'll jump in! (well perhaps not that far but still...depends what kind of candy we are talking about too)
Being in corporate sales, the more customers I talk to, the less I trust people and that's been going on for decades now to the point where I am weary about trusting anyone anymore. Their are so many business idiots out there, who have no business being in business, it boggles my mind, and I think that makes me skeptical and cautious to accept anyone or any website's word.
As you know very well, I am cynical and skeptical, I question everything I read here as well as the source(s) that it comes from, except you of course, I'd trust you with my life. (LOL, suuuuure I would.)
But is that such a bad thing?
Should I accept someone saying "it's secure?" even when I don't trust or haven't qualified the website or technology?
Is it that I don't know any better and it's simply fear, uncertainty and doubt?
Am I just being wise from experience?
I don't know really but if I haven't provided any info that COULD possibly harm me, then I guess mayve I err on the side of caution too.
Thanks again Mark, great article!

I don't think that young adults more vigilant than older adults. Quite opposite, actually.
The explanation of numbers lies in another dimension:
the older generations less likely to do something shameful, as a result, there is no need to hide. Older gens never put bad info about themselves from the begining, thus why care about privacy settings?
Younger generations still learning the life and likely to indulge something spicy that may compromise them later on.

We always view the following generations through our lens of what we understand and believe. The bigger the span in-between, the more our lens finds fault with. Is this fault what the lens finds or a distortion as we are not properly adjusting the focus? Gen Y is naturally far better at adjusting their social privacy settings but their view of privacy is different. Where the Boomer generation goes tisk, tisk, Gen Y finds no big deal since people are human and will err. Gen Y can be more forgiving and tolerant. That opens more sharing by Gen Y then the Boomers who left many things to yard-fence gossiping. Gen Y has their own thoughts and views which will continue to mature as they do. It will mature to what they understand and believe which will distort their lens as they view the generations that follow them.

One of the things not many of us stated here is for how long data is stored. If you google someone 10 years form now, do you still get confronted with the indiscretions you posted as a youth?
Paper archives take up valuable building space, digital data much less. So we are much less inclined to clean up "old" and possible obsolete data. And thus they can be accessed much longer.
One more reason to be very carefull what you post on the Internet.

The info to date does not answer/explain the privacy issue. Millenials may not consider where they are or what they are doing (restaurants, gyms, etc.)of major importance. Things they want private simply are not published. Older users, if less tech savvy, may not even realize what info is public and/or what and why privacy can be limited by privacy settings at various sites and anonymous surfing.

You're grouping people born between 1982 and 2000: so around 12 years old to 30 years old. Would any other research suggest that these groups of people act the same or have the same concept of "online privacy".
I think you'd be closer to the mark if you changed to the poll to "reputation management". The older you get, the less likely you are to be concerned about potentially embarrassing statements or photos being posted, and maybe the opposite - I'm probably in that 61% of 30-49 year olds who believe we've "still got it"!

As a young friend explained to me, they like Facebook and the like, and they will use it ***Regardless*** of the Privacy Statements of those companies.
I do believe your assertion that "Millennials are naïve about future fallout from their openness online"...
None of us has the Crystal Ball that will enable us to see the future consequences of today's actions/choices.

Both my children are millenials. Among other things I'm a data security professional, and I taught both of them as much as I know about privacy concerns, personally-identifiable information (PII), and online reputation (although I didn't use that term, exactly). My wife is an attorney, and has also provided information about online reputation and privacy concerns.
My 18-year-old daughter doesn't seem to get it; she divulges personal information all the time. My 17-year-old son, on the other hand, is quite careful about what he posts. In this small sample size, my daughter is not an "IT person", while my son is (he's taught me a few things), so that may have something to do with it.
I've not done any surveys of this behavior; however, in my small world (knowing a few hundred people) most people I know do not divulge private and/or PII online, regardless of age... but my experience shows something interesting. Teenagers are less concerned about such matters than adults, but they are more aware of doing so. Adults are more likely to divulge things because they don't realize they're divulging things, so the two may even out in the big picture.

Boy the ability to have or lack of ability to have responsibility among youth is a subject that has gone on (just my opinion) since the beginning of families. Being a grandfather now I have seen an obvious change in both attitude and maturity in middle class young adults. Outside the area involving trauma do to drug or other forms of abuse young adults are just plain smarter and more aware of national events.
The world of computers had barely starting when I was leaving high school back in 1976 My kids were involved with the beginning as I took them from dos to Windows 3.xxx. Both my daughters are now involved with careers involving computer science not attached to my own computer business. Their children (oh I just love saying my grandchildren) have been on computers since they were able to read.
Now I can honestly tell you my children are way more responsible then I was about many things including personal privacy and on line immunity. My grand kids are so mature and aware of things going on with privacy rights, our government and the general social climate of the internet today it scares the begeebies (not sure this is an acceptable word but hey?) out of me. I feel like I need to take them away to just play and be kids for a day!
I am truly undecided about whether it's a good or bad thing that our youth is so caught up in the subject of online privacy. On the one hand I appreciate them taking measures to protect their own families. On the other hand it bothers me that there is an increasing number of individuals or groups that want to use or exploit others personal information. This is not just limited to corporations or for profit if you will. I am also concerned with governments including our own continually working on eavesdropping on even the most innocent and personal conversations of anybody, anywhere and at any time.
It is good that our youth learn responsibility about protecting their own and respecting others privacy whether on line or off. Hopefully this attribute comes out of good family and social upbringing and not out of fear of being constantly spied on from both corporation and government entities. Fear is a weapon used by suppressors and can damage the freedom we all enjoy in this country today.

Over the Millennia mankind has lived in the jungles, mountains and by the sea in small groups in villages. Their lives were centered around the village square where they all gathered for company after a hard days toil to talk about how they spent that mundane day and the treasures they found while digging for roots. They would dress the same way, spin the same yarns, dance the same dances, sing the same songs and eat the same food, all in a communal atmosphere, watched over by the Chief and his witch doctor.
But mankind began to evolve. It moved from the basic means of survival to more sophisticated means of survival and advancement, which led to privac. The application of intelligence was the means to progress and that advancement. And since the source of intelligence is the individual, the product of the application of intelligence in each instant belonged to that individual. The benefits of the product may have belonged to the tribe, but the idea that created the product didnt. Now here comes the Chief who passes an edict whereby the owner of the product has to share or give up that product to the tribe without reaping any reward for his product or invention. A more benign Chief may want the producer to produce large quantities of his product and he would then distribute 90% of the production to the tribe and keep 10% (the roots of taxation and/or Socialism?).
But the right to own the product of his intelligence and effort and to keep the idea that created that product requires that the producer be protected by The Right to Ownership. He has the right to own his idea and his product and share them with others at his own behest. He can only guard his idea or ideas and his life by exercising privacy. Actually there is only one fundamental right from which all other rights are born: A mans right to his own life because Life is a process of self-sustaining and self-generated action.
Now, lets look at Generation-Y in that context. This generation in particular uses its opposable thumbs primarily for sending out text messages at close to the speed of light. And I believe there are global competitions for this event. The big question is what really is transmitted in those text messages? Any unique ideas produced through the use of intelligence? No. Anything concerning human existence and its improvement? No. Any questions to a friend or classmate concerning homework or a math or science problem? Hell, No!
So what is truly exchanged in text messages? The latest winner on American Idol, the latest cacophony to hit the Top 40 charts, the latest in denim jeans, hair styles and fashion. The rest is just music, music, music. And why did this particular generation in such a funk? To answer that question, lets take a closer look at their parents. Did philosophy play a role in their lives? Did they discuss serious issues with their friends when they tied up the land-lines for hours? No, to both questions.
So, what this boils down to is philosophy, or the lack of it, no matter which letter of the alphabet to apply to this or subsequent generations. Philosophy studies the fundamental nature of existence and of mans relationship to existence. As against the special sciences, which deal only with particular aspects, philosophy deals with those aspects of the universe which pertain to everything that exists.
The task of philosophy is to provide man with a comprehensive view of life. This view serves as a base, a frame of reference, for all his actions, mental or physical, psychological or existential. This view tells him the nature of the universe with which he has to deal (metaphysics); the means by which he is to deal with it, i.e., the means of acquiring knowledge (epistemology); the standards by which he is to choose his goals and values, in regard to his own life and character (ethics)and in regard to society (politics); the means of concretizing this view is given to him by esthetics. Without philosophy mankind will continue flying blind, no matter which generation and society will be taken advantage of by degenerates in politics who do understand its power and who will use it towards their own gains.

What this boils down to is philosophy, or its lack, no matter which letter of the alphabet is applied to this or subsequent generations. Philosophy studies the fundamental nature of existence and of mans relationship to existence. Philosophy deals with those aspects of the universe which pertain to everything that exists. The task of philosophy is to provide man with a comprehensive view of life. Does Generation-Y know this?

What is with all this pandering by businesses to please the Generation Y employees, to the detriment of the business organization? An excellent illustration of this is the allowing personal devices in and being used in the workplace.

From what I have seen on the Social Networks it's the exact opposite with their heads in the sand expecting noting to go wrong. The outrage expressed when something happens because it was read on FB or whatever is what I find amusing.
You get things like I posted pictures of me driving a stolen car loosing the police chasing me and they came to my home and arrested me for stealing the car and dangerous driving, they used my postings on FB as evidence against me. [b]Shock Horror how dare they do such a thing and let me convict myself.[/b] There is no way I would have admitted to any of that if they had of called me in for an Interview but they used a Private Posting on FB to convict me. [i]For FB you can insert any Social network here.[/i]
Same happens when they are called into the Bosses office and dismissed for something that they have posted On Line they think what they place [b]In Public On Line[/b] is somehow Private and take no precautions about their own personal details. The outcry about FB using Pictures posted on it recently was a Perfect Example of Complete Stupidity they think that they can somehow Publicly Post things and they they remain private.
Col

A 12 year old that I discovered who had sneaked in over a monitored Phone line over 32 thousand times and lifted the constructional plans of a Air Force fighter.
If he had not of published the constructional plans in his school newspaper he would never have been caught either. Where he was silly was in not knowing what it was that he had as he had no idea of what he had got or the Security Rules broken in getting it easily.
That was a very long time ago now and unlike the plans that he lifted anything that could identify him is still Top Secret. ;)
That was done with a Commodore 64 when they where newish so it's been quite a while now.
Col

and I also agree that I have actually noticed many good points about the new generations. Their willingness to volunteer for the good of neighbors, or a beneficial cause, was surprising to me. This one thing may outweigh all other perceived detraction by the previous generations. :)

I had a Vic20 and I managed to hack into the local computer store and play Frogger on their system!
Now if you compare that to building a fighter plane, you'll find Frogger is a more fun...not to mention less expensive! :D

When I saw this in this mornings e mail I had to have a second look and well what can I say. The opening is this
[i]New Twitter App Lets You Keep Tweeting After Death
Twitter enthusiasts need not worry about what will become of their
social network accounts after they have died. A new service promises to
continue sending out tweets on behalf of the deceased long ...[/i]
www.infopackets.com/news/internet/2013/20130225_new_twitter_app_lets_you_keep_tweeting_after_death.htm
I'm still more than a bit speechless.
Col

Every generation has differences from the previous ones. Different because the growth, maturity, experiences, etc. each generation goes through has differences which is really a repeat process for each one. In my parent's generation, there were those who would not use the new TV remotes and unplugged the set each night. My generation had comics that made routines based on what we saw as a weird quirk.
Our differences begin because the world we grow up in is different. Yes there are the same issues, good and bad, etc., but still different. The acceleration of technology helps to make the differences even sharper. My generation struggled with hooking up and programming the VCR's. My kids could do that before they went to Kindergarten. Then there is each generation's rebellion against their parent's generation. We grow up and figure out they're not so dumb but the rebellion leaves its mark as different thought processes are developed along with conclusions. My generation still snickered at the 'slow' students. I've seen many in my kids generation quickly jump to their defense and had no issue with them integrated in their class.
There have been some good discussions along with those where they are trying to sound like a PHD. Some seem to miss that every older generation has wagged their finger at the following ones and saw doom on the horizon for them. Some thirty thousand years later, we're still here. The lens is always out of focus I guess.

I still visit a couple of friends pages that have passed away. They live on as memorials for our beloved buddies! :(
Even if their relatives deleted them, I imagine they would never disappear from backup over at FB.

It felt the same, as computing was not commonplace, I think there were less than 10 of us in school that had an actual computer, not just a cartridge Atari 2600 system.
It always seemed so covert and risky. What if they call the cops and they raid my house? This was before piracy was commonplace too so nobody really knew if there were repercussions but understood we were hacking/stealing all the same. Within a year I had ditched the Vic20 AND the Commodore 64 and decided it was more fun to play baseball, hockey, soccer, football or whatever outside in a playing field, than to be shut in with a computer and a few dorky classmates.

The FBI was in Uniform but that is pure black clothing including some sort of Face Covering and FBI in Day-glow Yellow on their backs. Apparently for some strange reason when the burst in through doors and windows they are not running backward so you can see the FBI Logo, so the sane reaction is to get the hell out of there and ask questions latter.
One of the times that being in Uniform doesn't help all that much. ;)
Col

if I saw that coming - I'd assume it was drug cartel gang members coming to rob me or commit some kind of sick revenge. I've been an outspoken critic of molly-coddling gang organizations, so that would be my first assumption, unless they were properly uniformed as officers, that is. Problem is, a lot of law enforcement organization come to the party with under cover agents that are NOT uniformed, and then wonder why their suspects react in such a way. Doh! :ar!

You didn't have a bunch of Armed FBI Officers raid your home at 2.00 AM brandishing automatic weapons.
According to the court records the Kid was accused of attempting to run away before the FBI Officers identified themselves. Hardly surprising if you ask me as I consider that Common Sense. :D
Col